It seems that in a last ditch effort to entice viewers to come back to the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy, which ended with a bang in December, (though not necessarily a critically praised bang), it seems Peter Jackson really let loose with the violence, blood and gore while putting together the extended edition of ‘The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies,’ enough so that the release will indeed be rated R, a first for any of Jackson’s films set in the world of Middle Earth. It was clearly a big decision for Warner Bros, as they know some parents might be strict enough to not purchase the film for their children with that R rating, but since everyone knows it will mainly just be CG blood and violence, they might not care as much. (it’s not like the rating comes from raunchy sex scenes between an Elf and Dwarf) Of course, when they eventually bundle all 3 special editions of ‘The Hobbit’ and release them all together, that also means that bundle with have the R rating on it, which could hurt sales, but once again, I think all but the most strict parents really will not care all that much.
The Extended Edition Blu-Ray will also feature the following special features:
Commentary with director/producer/writer Peter Jackson and co-producer/writer Philippa Boyens
The Appendices – The Appendices Parts XI and XII showcase a chronological history of the filming of The Battle of the Five Armies, documenting the work done on set chronologically through the three shooting blocks and in the world of its digital effects.
New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 3
What are your thoughts on ‘The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies’ Extended Edition receiving an R rating? Does it make you want to purchase the new cut and see what changes Jackson made to give it that rating? Or are you over ‘The Hobbit’ movies and just do not care anymore? Share your opinions below!
Source: Collider
